Method of tightening loose rivets in structural members



A. G. LEAKE June 11, 1935.

METHOD OF TIGHTENING LOOSE HIVETS IN STRUCTURAL MEMBERS Filed Dec. 50, 1931 A A I Fl!!! it Q @277 I gwumtoz Patented June H, 1935 METHOD 01F TIGHTENHNG LOOSE RIVETS IN STRUCTURAL MEDBERS Arthur G. Leake, Bridgeport, Conn.

Application December 30, 1931, Serial No. 583,816

ening loose rivets in structural members, and has for an object to provide an improved method of so tightening the loosened rivets as to restore 5 their effectiveness without the necessity of removing the rivet or tearing down the structure, and which may be applied while the structure is in position or even under load.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in a. certain novel method and means of tightening loose rivets as will be more fully disclosed in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a built-up beam or girder showing my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof; and

Fig. 4 is a detail section on an enlarged scale substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

In the drawing the invention is shown as applied to a built-up beam or girder comprising a web plate I0 and angle members I I secured along the upper and lower edges of the web plate by rivets l2. To the outer surfaces of the longitudinal flanges of the angle members are secured longitudinal strengthening or cover plates l3 by means of rivets It. It is, however, to be understood that this particular structure is shown merely for the purposes of illustration, and that the invention is equally applicable to tightening loosened rivets in other structures, such as plates, bars, channels, beams, trusses, columns, chords for trusses, webs for plate girders, and all types of built-up structures.

For the purposes of describing the invention we will assume that the rivets- It, or at least The efiectiveness of the rivet can be restored and it can be made tight in the structure by welding the outer circumferential portion of the rivet to the surface of the plate I3 or the adjacent structural member as indicated at I8. However, before welding, the surface of the head of the rivet and the surface of the adjacent structural member should be thoroughly cleaned to remove paint, rust, scale and the like. This can be done with an acetylene oxygen torch, cleaning or scraping with a wire brush, or with other suitable cleaning means. Before welding, the head I! should be held tightly against the adjacent structural member II, and then the weld metal l8 can be added around the outer periphery of the head IE, it being simultaneously welded to the surface of the head as indicated at l9 and to the surface of the adjacent structural member l3 as indicated at 20. This efiectively tightens the rivet and restores its full strength and effectiveness. The weld metal is preferably applied by electric welding from a welding rod, and it will be evident that with this method the rivets can be tightened one at a time without removing any'of the rivets, and without tearing down the structure, and therefore the rivets can be tightened and restored to full effectiveness while the structural members are in position or under load.-

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is: I

1. The method of tightening an elongated rivet in structural members which comprises welding the periphery of one head of the rivet to the member by building up a ring of weld metal around said head between it and the member and welding the ring to the headand the member.

2. The method of tightening an elongated rivet in structural members while under load which comprises holding one head of the rivet tightly against one of the members, and while the rivet is so held welding the periphery of the other head to another member by building up a ring of weld metal around the head between it and the member and welding it to the head and the member.

ARTHUR G. LEAKE. 

